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Steve Lawler and Bill Patrick - Miami WMC Perspectives
Wanna know what really went down at this years Miami Winter Music Conference? RA caught up with a select group of leading DJs and Producers and made them spill the beans...
Steve Lawler
Personally, how was the WMC for you?
Played at a couple of great party’s, had a good laugh, enjoyed my self with friends, and picked up some wicked tracks...
What fresh DJ's/Producers/Live Acts caught your attention at Miami?
Desyn Masiello, Low End Specialists and Peter Bailey.
Highlight tune from this year's Conference?
Deep Dish vs P Diddy
Was there a low point for you at this year's WMC?
Low point??? How can there be a low point, it was hot, loads of friends there, great hotels and restaurants… jesus! We’re in Miami baby!
What was the best party or highlight during the WMC?
For me it was my own party that I did at Nerve, it’s a really tight venue, amazing sound system, a fantastic crowd of people, a mixture of industry, and people that love to party and listen to good music. I got to play for 7 hours (I think!) And it was house music all night!
Which of the established DJ's/Producers/Live Acts delivered the goods again?
I only really checked out new talent, as that's what's exiting me at the moment.
Do you have any funny stories from the Conference?
Oh yes plenty, but there's no way you could print it!!! ;-)
Bill Patrick
 Personally, how was the WMC for you?
This was the best conference to date for me!! We had so much fun. Got to meet so many great people that I had been talking to online and via email. Every party we went to was on point. Great vibes and solid music.
I felt like the bad qualities that troubled the last couple of conferences were not there this year. I didnt see any shadiness, but then again I only went to friend's parties. None of the big club drama. Kept it amongst friends and supported the smaller nites. Those are the ones with better music anyways.
Plus we did it right with our accomodations. All those past WMC's we stayed in hotels and always wanted somewhere to go for afterhours. We decided to make it happen this year. We rented out two penthouse apartments on Collins Ave and shipped down decks and speakers. Kinda opened a can of worms though, cus after the first nite, our spot became the official afterhours of WMC 2003!! But it's all good cus everyone respected the place (except for Paul Louth who decided to stand on the corner of our table filled with beer bottles and lots of other goodies and then flipping it over on top of him!! ;)
I also had a chance to play some amazing gigs this year, like the sunrise set on the Space Terrace and a wicked party with our 112 Crew vs Casa del Soul at Lime Bar.
What fresh DJ's/Producers/Live Acts caught your attention at Miami?
JEFF BENNETT!!!! Jeff and I had been talking via email for a few months before Miami and we all decided to stay together. He blessed me with a handful of unreleased tracks to play at my gigs and each of them received enormous reactions!! This was another major reason why this year was so special for me. I have been a fan of Jeff's work for years now and to have him around and to be the first person to play his new material out was really special for me. He is so extremely talented and each of his productions has such a unique sound to them. The energy in the room went through the roof every time I played one of his tunes. Already with interest from major US and UK labels and now big name DJ's chasing him down to get a hold of his tracks, Jeff is sure to make a huge imprint on the scene this year. Plus he's a great guy and quite the comedian. ;)
Highlight tune from this year's Conference?
Mary J Blige "Family Affair" (Luke Fair remix)- received big-time hands in the air responses each time it was played. Chunk filled-dirty ass breaks with Mary J doing her thing, Luke has pumped out a stellar remix!
Danny Howells "From Dusk til Dawn"- feel good track of the year!! I dropped this as my last track on the terrace at Space around 10am and the place went off!! The vocal is tremendous and gives off such a great vibe that if your not dancing and smiling to this then your probably in a K-Hole.
Jeff Bennett "Markings"- one of the many nuggets Jeff blessed me with this conference. This tune has a great old school feel to it with such tight production and amazing energy. Huge responses everywhere I played it!
Was there a low point for you at this year's WMC?
The snow storm in Denver that kept Little Mike, Ty Tek, and Dj Sense' out of the conference. They got slammed with somewhere around 30 inches of snow!! The club that they all play in collapsed and fell on top of the Casa Del Soul Record Store!!! So you could imagine the nightmare scenario that played out. We were all in shock and missed those guys big time. Next year we are having them fly down to Miami in February!!
What was the best party or highlight during the WMC?
The 112 Crew vs Casa Del Soul party at Lime Bar was the highlight of the conference for me. We weren’t expecting a huge turnout, with Sasha and Digweed playing Space and Proton Radio doing their party that night. So we just wanted to get our friends together and have a good time.
Well it turned out to be MASSIVE!! There were people coming in all night and a line out the door til 3am. The music was amazing and we all had a great time playing. Tom Amoroso, Dennis Rodgers and I threw down for the 112 Crew and Wyatt Earp and DJ Catt represented big time for a Casa Del Soul crew that was missing a few key players.
We were all extremely happy and are excited about making this an annual party at WMC.
Paul Louth's table flipping incident was also a highlight for me! As well as getting a chance to play alongside him and John Ioannou at a Tech House party. Wicked DJ's even though they are both complete lightweights!
Which of the established DJ's/Producers/Live Acts delivered the goods again?
Danny Howells at BED once again tore the conference up. My man can do no wrong. Danny had the place going off til 7am and just kept the music so diverse. From the slamming sets, to the chuggers, he always knows what to play at the right time. There is so much good hype around Danny right now and I'm excited to see him go even further this year. He deserves to be mentioned as one of the greatest DJ's in the world!
- Bill Patrick is part of the 112 Crew and you can check out their website at: www.112Crew.com.
Also in the WMC Perspectives series:
- Jon Lisle and Zabiela.
- Paul Louth and Hellpass.
- Infusion and DJ Remy.
- Hernan Cattaneo and Chris Fortier.
- Jody Wisternoff and Pole Folder.
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Published / Thursday, 03 April 2003
 13 Comments
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